Willie McCovey
Willie McCovey | |
---|---|
First baseman | |
Born: Mobile, Alabama, U.S. | January 10, 1938|
Died: October 31, 2018 Stanford, California, U.S. | (aged 80)|
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
July 30, 1959, for the San Francisco Giants | |
Last MLB appearance | |
July 6, 1980, for the San Francisco Giants | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .270 |
Hits | 2,211 |
Home runs | 521 |
Runs batted in | 1,555 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Member of the National | |
Baseball Hall of Fame | |
Induction | 1986 |
Vote | 81.4% (first ballot) |
Willie Lee McCovey (January 10, 1938 – October 31, 2018), nicknamed "Stretch", "Mac" and "Willie Mac",[a] was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1959 to 1980, most notably as a member of the San Francisco Giants for whom he played for 19 seasons. McCovey also played for the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics in the latter part of his MLB career.
He was a fearsome left-handed power hitter. At the time of his retirement in 1980, McCovey ranked second only to
McCovey was known as a
Early life
McCovey was born in Mobile, Alabama, the seventh child of ten born to Frank McCovey, a railroad worker, and Esther.[6] He began working part time at the age of 12 and dropped out of high school in order to work full time.[7]
Professional career
Minor Leagues
Despite being passed on by scout Ed Scott, who signed
In 1955 McCovey made his professional debut. The Sandersville Giants of the Georgia State League in Sandersville, Georgia had McCovey on their roster, with McCovey having signed a contract for $175.00 per month. His signing bonus was a mere $500.[8] McCovey was 17 years old, 6'2", 165 pounds, and proceeded to hit .305 with 19 home runs, scoring 113 runs in 107 games.[9]
On his way to the
Major Leagues
San Francisco Giants (1959–1973)
In his Major League debut on July 30, 1959, McCovey went four-for-four against Hall-of-Famer Robin Roberts of the Philadelphia Phillies with two singles and two triples.[1] McCovey found major league pitchers simpler to hit than minor leaguers because the major leaguers had better control of their pitches.[1] In 52 major league games, he had a .354 batting average and 13 home runs. He was named the National League's (NL) Rookie of the Year.[6] He won the NL Player of the Month Award in August, his first full month in the majors (.373, 8 HR, 22 RBI). He had a 22-game hitting streak, setting the mark for San Francisco Giants rookies, four short of the all-time team record.[11]
The 1960 season was disappointing for McCovey. Season-long struggles caused him to be demoted to the minor leagues at one point, and the San Francisco fans booed him relentlessly. In nearly twice as many games as the previous year (101 to 52), he still hit the same number of home runs (13), batting .238.[12][13]
McCovey was not the only first baseman on the Giants. First base was also the natural position of Orlando Cepeda, who had won the NL Rookie of the Year Award the year before McCovey and played about 60 games at the position in 1959 when McCovey was in the minor leagues. However, new manager Alvin Dark declared McCovey his first baseman for 1961, putting Cepeda in right field to begin the year.[14] Dark also assigned Willie Mays as McCovey's roommate.[15]
In 1962, Dark decided to put Cepeda at first base full-time and move McCovey to the outfield. James S. Hirsch, who wrote a biography of Mays, reported that a recurring joke among the Giants "was that McCovey didn't need a glove to play the outfield, just a blindfold and a cigarette."[16] Because McCovey had struggled against left-handed pitching, Dark played him only when a right-hander was starting and frequently pinch-hit for McCovey if a left-hander was brought in.[7] Thus, McCovey played only 91 games, but he still hit 20 home runs.[16] He helped the Giants to the World Series against the New York Yankees,[17] the only World Series appearance of his career.[18] He hit a home run against Ralph Terry in Game 2, which the Giants won 2–0.[19] In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7, with two outs and the Giants trailing 1–0, Mays was on second base and Matty Alou was on third base. Any base hit would likely have won the championship for the Giants. McCovey hit a hard line drive that was snared by the Yankees' second baseman Bobby Richardson, ending the series with a Yankees' win.[17]
The moment was immortalized in two
McCovey spent many years at the heart of the Giants' batting order, along with fellow Hall-of-Fame member Willie Mays. His best year statistically was 1969, when he hit 45 home runs, had 126 RBI and batted .320 to become the National League MVP. He was also named the Most Valuable Player of the 1969 All-Star Game after hitting two home runs to lead the National League team to a 9–3 victory over the American League.[23] He won NL Player of the Month awards in July 1963 (.310, 13 HR, 27 RBI) and August 1969 (.315, 8 HR, 22 RBI). In 1963 he and Hank Aaron tied for the NL lead with 44 home runs.[6]
In the early years of Candlestick Park, the Giants home stadium, the area behind right field was open except for three small bleacher sections. When McCovey came to bat, typically those bleachers would empty as the fans positioned themselves on the flat ground, hoping to catch a McCovey home run ball.[24]
Injuries limited McCovey to 105 games in 1971, but he reached the playoffs for the first time in nine years as the Giants won the
San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics (1974–1976)
He was traded along with Bernie Williams from the Giants to the San Diego Padres for Mike Caldwell on October 25, 1973. Troubled with arthritic knees for two seasons, the 35‐year‐old McCovey was critical of manager Charlie Fox for diminishing his starting first baseman role in favor of Gary Thomasson.[27] The Giants had been trading their higher-priced players and gave McCovey input into his destination.[7] McCovey played in 128 games in 1974 and 122 games in 1975. He hit 22 home runs in 1974 and 23 in 1975.[28]
In 1976, McCovey struggled, and lost the starting first base job to Mike Ivie. He batted .203 with seven home runs in 71 games. Near the end of the season, the Oakland Athletics purchased his contract from the Padres. He played in eleven games for them.[7][28]
San Francisco (1977–1980)
McCovey returned to the Giants in 1977 without a guaranteed contract, but he earned a position on the team.[7] With Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson having retired at the end of the 1976 season with 755 and 586 home runs respectively, McCovey began 1977 as the active home run leader with 465. That year, during a June 27 game against the Cincinnati Reds, he became the first player to hit two home runs in one inning twice in his career (the first was on April 12, 1973), a feat since accomplished by Andre Dawson, Jeff King, Alex Rodriguez, and Edwin Encarnación. One was a grand slam and he became the first National Leaguer to hit seventeen. At age 39, he had 28 home runs and 86 RBIs and was named the Comeback Player of the Year.[29]
On June 30, 1978, at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium, McCovey hit his 500th home run, and two years later, on May 3, 1980, at Montreal's Olympic Stadium, McCovey hit his 521st and last home run, off Scott Sanderson of the Montreal Expos. This home run gave McCovey the distinction, along with Ted Williams (with whom he was tied in home runs), Rickey Henderson, and Omar Vizquel of homering in four different decades: the 1950s, '60s, '70s, and '80s. McCovey is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in Major League baseball games in four decades.[30]
In his 22-year career, McCovey
Post-playing career
McCovey was a senior advisor with the Giants for 18 years. In this role, he visited the team during spring training and during the season, providing advice and other services.[33]
In September 2003, McCovey and a business partner opened McCovey's Restaurant, a baseball-themed sports bar and restaurant located in Walnut Creek, California. The restaurant closed in February 2015.[34]
Legacy
McCovey was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 in his first year of eligibility — making him the 16th player so honored. He appeared on 346 of 425 ballots cast (81.4 percent).[32][35]
McCovey is best remembered for the ferocity of his
In 1999, McCovey was ranked 56th on the
Since 1980, the Giants have awarded the Willie Mac Award to honor his spirit and leadership.[39]
The inlet of San Francisco Bay beyond the right field fence of Oracle Park, historically known as China Basin, has been re-dubbed McCovey Cove in his honor. Since the opening of the ballpark at the start of the 2000 season, the Cove has been famous for "splash hits", home runs that are occasionally hit into the water by Giants players and retrieved by fans in boats or kayaks. A statue of McCovey was erected across the Cove from the park, and the land on which it stands is named McCovey Point. On September 21, 1980, the Giants retired his uniform number 44, which he wore in honor of Hank Aaron, a fellow Mobile, Alabama native.[40][41]
McCovey was inducted to the Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame (formerly the Afro Sports Hall of Fame)[42] in Oakland, California on February 7, 2009.[43][44] The Willie McCovey field at Woodside Elementary School in Woodside, California was rededicated to him in 2013.[10][45]
Personal life
McCovey's first marriage, to Karen McCovey, produced a daughter. On August 1, 2018, he married longtime girlfriend Estela Bejar at AT&T Park.[46] He had a quiet personality.[47]
In 1996, McCovey and fellow baseball
In his later years, McCovey dealt with several health issues, including atrial fibrillation and an infection in 2015 that nearly killed him. After his career ended he endured several knee surgeries, which left him in a wheelchair, and he was hospitalized several times.[51]
McCovey died at the age of 80 at
See also
- List of Major League Baseball home run records
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career bases on balls leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career extra base hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career strikeouts by batters leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career slugging percentage leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career total bases leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players who played in four decades
- List of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States
Notes
References
- ^ a b c Hirsch, p. 309
- ^ "McCovey And Mays Gave Foes Of Giants 'The Willies'". Forbes. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- ^ "#TBT: The origins of the shift - SweetSpot". ESPN. July 23, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- ISBN 9780385532167– via Google Books.
- ^ "Blowing out the candle". April 4, 1999. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Goldstein, Richard (October 31, 2018). "Willie McCovey, 80, Dies; Was Hall of Fame Slugger With the Giants". The New York Times. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Armour, Mark. "Willie McCovey". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Hirsch, p. 283
- ^ "Willie McCovey – Society for American Baseball Research".
- ^ a b Dickey, Glenn (January 30, 2005). "CATCHING UP WITH WILLIE MCCOVEY / Back in the swing of things / Giants great on mend after surgery". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Shea, John (July 30, 2010). "Streak ends". SFChronicle.com. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
- ^ "Willie McCovey Stats". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ Hirsch, pp. 327-38
- ^ Hirsch, pp. 295, 334
- ^ Hirsch, p. 340
- ^ a b Hirsch, p. 350
- ^ a b Vecsey, George (January 10, 1986). "Sports Of The Times; McCovey's Toughest Opponent". The New York Times. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ a b Kroner, Steve; Shea, John (October 31, 2018). "Willie McCovey: Giants legend dead at 80". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- ^ Hirsch, p. 370
- ^ "Willie McCovey". National Baseball Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Whiting, Sam (March 25, 2012). "Willie McCovey recalls '62 Series — 50 years ago". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Killion, Ann (November 3, 2018). "There was no finer Giant than Willie McCovey". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "1969 All-Star game box score". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Giants Hall of Famer Willie McCovey dies at 80 | MLB". Sporting News. October 26, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Hirsch, p. 499
- ^ Hirsch, p. 506
- ^ "Padres Get McCovey," The New York Times, Friday, October 26, 1973. Retrieved November 28, 2020
- ^ a b Lanek, Joe (October 25, 2015). "The Padres acquired Willie McCovey this day in 1973". Gaslamp Ball. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Gonzales, Richard (October 31, 2018). "Hall Of Fame Slugger Willie McCovey Dies At Age 80". NPR. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Paul Casella (March 8, 2015). "Which current MLB players could play in four decades?". Sports on Earth. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Giants Hall of Famer Willie McCovey dies at 80". October 31, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Willie McCovey: Giants legend dead at 80". SFChronicle.com. November 1, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
- ^ "Willie McCovey – Senior Advisor | San Francisco Giants". Mlb.com. May 24, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Walnut Creek: McCovey's closing downtown, possibly moving to San Francisco – East Bay Times". Eastbaytimes.com. December 31, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Durso, Joseph (January 9, 1986). "MCCOVEY ELECTED TO HALL OF FAME". The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
- ^ Hirsch, pp. 308-09
- ^ "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players: No. 56, Sandy Koufax". The Sporting News. April 26, 1999. Archived from the original on September 24, 2004.
- ^ Posnanski, Joe (January 11, 2020). "The Baseball 100: No. 76, Willie McCovey". The Athletic.
- ^ "Willie Mac Award". Baseball Almanac.
- ^ "Willie McCovey Stats — Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Hank Aaron Stadium". milb.com. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
- ^ "About Us | Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame". March 19, 2016. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
- ISBN 9780738576190.
- ^ "Baseball legend Willie McCovey dies at 80 – SFBay". sfbay.ca. November 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
- ^ "almanacnews.com: "Woodside: Hall of Fame San Francisco Giant Willie McCovey dies" - Related news". Newstral.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- ^ KGO (August 2, 2018). "San Francisco Giants legend Willie McCovey marries longtime girlfriend at AT&T Park". abc7news.com. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Hirsch, p. 308
- ^ Sexton, Joe (July 21, 1995). "Tax Fraud: Two Baseball Legends Say It's So". The New York Times.
- ^ Bryan Armen Graham (January 17, 2017). "Hall of Fame first baseman Willie McCovey pardoned by Obama". The Guardian. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "President Obama pardons Willie McCovey for tax evasion". USA Today. January 17, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
- ^ Shea, John (January 7, 2018). "Giants legend Willie McCovey at 80: 'Every day is a blessing'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
Book sources
- Hirsch, James S. (2010). Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend. New York: Scribner. ISBN 978-1-4165-4790-7.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
- Willie McCovey at the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Willie McCovey at the SABR Baseball Biography Project
- Willie McCovey at Find a Grave